The invention is directed towards the field of semiconductor automatic test equipment, and more specifically, towards probe card-to-wafer parallelism (also described as planarity) in semiconductor automatic test equipment at wafer probe.
Within the semiconductor industry, an essential step in the manufacturing process is wafer test, also known as wafer probe or wafer sort. During wafer sort, each individual die on the wafer is electrically tested for functionality before packaging. FIG. 1A is a high-level sketch showing a sample configuration of the automated test equipment (ATE), also known as an ATE test cell or test cell, used in wafer sort. This configuration shall hereinafter be referred to as a direct-docking system. The equipment that controls and runs the tests on the wafer is called a tester 101. The tester 101 has a moveable test head 103 that is positioned over a wafer 105 during test. A prober 107 loads and unloads each wafer 105 onto a prober stage 109. The prober stage 109 (also known as a prober chuck) maneuvers each wafer 105 into position for testing, and is capable of movement in x-, y-, and z-directions. An arrow 121 points in the direction of the z-axis for the system. The x- and y-axis are in the plane of the wafer 105. In this ATE test cell configuration, the test head 103 rests on docking supports 111, which are adjustable in height. In other test cell configurations, the test head 103 may be suspended above the prober 107 using appropriate means other than docking supports.
The test head 103 makes contact with the wafer 105 via probe card 113, which can be attached to the tester interface 120 with a number of possible mechanisms, including but not limited to vacuum attachment, mechanical latching, or retention using electromechanical connectors. In some alternate test cell configurations, such as the one shown in FIG. 1B, the probe card 113 is mounted directly onto a prober head plate 114 of the prober 107. The configuration of FIG. 1B shall hereinafter be referred to as a conventional docking system. The probe card 113 holds an array of probes 115 that have been manufactured to line up with contact pads on the wafer 105. Ideally, all of the probes 115 are aligned in the same plane, parallel to the wafer surface, such that contact is made with all of the contact pads on the wafer 105 simultaneously, minimizing the required z-direction travel of the prober stage 109. The probe depth 116 is defined to be the distance in the z-direction from the tester interface 120 to the tip of the probes 115 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. Each probe card 113 is custom-made for the specific circuitry of the wafer 105 that is to be tested, and has an interface that is electrically and mechanically matched to the tester specific interface on the test head 103. The prober 107 typically has a prober vision system with an upward looking camera 117 that can optically measure distances in the z-direction.
A fixed point, usually the center of x-y travel of the prober stage 109, is designated as the probing center of the ATE. The test cell has a system reference plane 119, which is typically a flat surface on a mechanical portion of the test cell. The system reference plane 119 is the surface against which the planes of other surfaces in the test cell are measured relative to. In the direct docking system of FIG. 1A, the system reference plane 119 is also the tester interface 120. In other test cell configurations, such as a conventional docking system, the system reference plane 119 may be another surface such as the prober head plate 114 or other flat surface. Each probe card 113, depending upon the probe technology employed and other application-specific factors, has a manufacturing planarity tolerance, which specifies the maximum distance that can be tolerated between the lowest and highest hanging probe 115 on the probe card 113 before the wafer 105 can no longer be accurately tested. The components that make up a test cell, consisting of tester 101, prober 107, and probe card 113, are typically supplied and supported by different vendors. For example, it is very common for the tester 101 to be supplied by one vendor, the prober 107 supplied by another, and the probe card 113 supplied by a third vendor.
Before wafer sort, it is imperative that the probe card 113 is leveled so that the tips of the probes 115 lie in a single plane, parallel to the wafer surface. This process, known as probe card planarization, ensures that the probes 115 all simultaneously contact the corresponding pads on the wafer 105. FIG. 2 shows an ATE test cell (a direct docking system) in which the test head 103 and probe card 113 are slightly tilted (exaggerated for clarity in the figure) and therefore not parallel to the wafer 105. As the test head 103 is brought down to rest upon the docking supports 111, the first probe 115A contacts the wafer 105 before any of the other probes 115. The test head 103 cannot be positioned any lower without damaging the first probe 115A and/or the wafer circuitry, but the remaining probes 115 have yet to make contact with the wafer 105. The test head 103 and probe card 113 must be leveled and made substantially parallel to the wafer 105 (within the tolerance of each ATE test cell) by adjusting the height of the docking supports 111, before the wafer 105 can be successfully tested. Probe cards 113 in conventional docking systems also require planarization before running wafer sort. In conventional docking systems, the probe card 113 is planarized by making adjustments to the prober head plate 114.
There are various ways to planarize a probe card 113. One method, used in direct docking systems, requires using a custom-made leveling apparatus. The leveling apparatus is mounted onto the docking supports 111 of the prober 107, and has three holes in its body that are positioned above the prober stage 109. A mechanical depth gauge is inserted into each hole to measure the distance between the leveling apparatus (which is a planar reference surface) and the prober stage 109. The height of each docking support 111 is adjusted until the measured distances are equal, indicating the docking supports 111 themselves are planar. If the docking supports 111 are planar, then it is presumed the test head 103 and its probe card 113 will also be planar when the test head 103 is set down upon the docking supports 111.
Unfortunately, the described leveling apparatus is flawed because it does not replicate the physical setup of the ATE test cell during wafer sort. Once the leveling apparatus is removed and the test head 103 is lowered onto the docking supports 111, the weight of the test head 103 (which can exceed 1000 pounds in some systems) alters the height of the docking supports 111 so that the test head 103 is no longer planarized. Furthermore, the leveling apparatus cannot utilize the measurement capabilities of the upward looking camera 117, nor can it be used in conventional docking systems
Another probe card planarization method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,759 to Bialobrodski et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,759 uses the prober""s upward looking camera to gauge the distance between 3 selected probes on the probe card. The test head rests on one fixed support and 2 adjustable, motorized supports. The camera communicates to a central microprocessor any adjustments that need to be made to the tilt of the test head in order to planarize the probe points to the wafer surface. In response, the central microprocessor adjusts the height of the motorized supports accordingly. Unfortunately, this method and apparatus requires additional setup steps and a costly motion control system to control the motorized supports.
To ensure probe card planarity, any component that interfaces with the wafer 105 and/or probe card 113 must also be planar and, in combination with the other components, meet the manufacturing planarity tolerance of the ATE. The prober stage 109, the probe card 113 and probes 115, and the system reference plane 119 should all be planar and parallel to each other in the final assembly. Vendors verify the planarity of their components by measuring the distance between a known, flat reference plane and the surface in question at multiple points. If the distances are equal, then the surface is verified to also be planar and parallel to the reference plane. Unfortunately, the vendors use completely different methods and tools to verify planarity. As a result, the different verification methods may not necessarily correlate to each other; that is, a surface that is determined to be planar using one method may not necessarily be found planar using another method.
To verify the planarity of a prober stage 109, one prober vendor attaches images of crosshair targets in three different locations onto a dummy probe card. The dummy probe card serves as the system reference plane 119, and is installed into a tester interface emulator that is mechanically equivalent to the tester interface 120 in the ATE in which the prober 107 will be used. Then, the upward looking camera 117 is used to measure the distance between each crosshair target and the prober stage 109. When the three distances are equal, the prober stage 109 is determined to be planar and parallel to the dummy probe card.
Another prober vendor uses a dummy probe card with three holes as a system reference plane 119. The dummy probe card is installed into a tester interface emulator. The tester interface emulator has a center opening large enough to expose the holes on the tester side of the dummy probe card. The holes are wide enough to let the plunger of a mechanical depth gauge pass through to make measurements. This allows the mechanical depth gauge to measure the distance between the system reference plane 119 of the dummy probe card and the surface of the prober stage 109. When the three distances are equal, the prober stage 109 is determined to be planar and parallel to the dummy probe card.
The probe card vendor uses an altogether different method to verify planarity of the probe points on a probe card 113. Due to the complexity of the probe array, a special instrument known as a metrology tool is used to check that a probe card 113 is planar to its probes 115. The metrology tool, which is provided by yet another vendor, also needs to have its planarity verified. Verification of the metrology tool can be performed in various ways, including the above-mentioned method of using a dummy probe card with holes.
In all of these aforementioned examples, the vendors rely on their own measurement instruments, tools, emulations of the tester interface 120, and/or emulations of the system reference plane 119 to verify planarity during the various stages of probe card manufacturing, measurement, and use. Unfortunately, with each vendor using a different method to determine planarity, and few (if any) of these methods providing for measurement traceability, often the disparate tools and methods do not correlate to each other. This lack of correlation causes probe card planarization difficulties during production, which means valuable time that could have been used in wafer sort must be wasted in planarizing the probe card 113 instead.
The use of non-correlating verification methods may also result in the erroneous rejection of a good probe card during wafer sort. For example, the probe tips on probe cards 113 should lie in a plane parallel to the system reference plane 119 of the subject ATE test cell. The probe tips""s planarity is verified by the probe card vendor. However, if the methods of verifying planarity in the ATE test cell do not correlate with the probe card vendor""s methods, then it may be impossible to planarize the probe card 113 in the ATE test cell. In most such cases, the probe card is assumed to be defective (even though the probe card vendor had already independently verified the probe tips"" planarity) and returned to the probe card vendor. These types of mistakes increase reject rates, probe card inventory requirements, and average setup time for an ATE test cell.
Miscorrelation between verification methods of different vendors is not the only problem. There may also be lack of correlation between a vendor""s own internal manufacturing and verification methods. For example, the probe card vendors have tip-planarizing tools (such as a sanding station or tip-etch system) that are used during the manufacturing process to sand, etch, or otherwise align the probe tips of a probe card within a plane. Then, the planarity of the probe tips is verified using a metrology tool. However, there can be miscorrelation between the tip-planarizing tools and the metrology tool. Miscorrelation between such internal tools is a problematic source of yield fallout in the probe card manufacturing environment.
Therefore, a need remains for an improved planarization tool, one that can more accurately replicate the physical setup of the ATE test cell during wafer sort and be used with the upward looking camera 117. There is also a need for better correlation between the various planarity verification methods used by the vendors, as well as better correlation between manufacturing and planarity verification tools. These needs are especially urgent as wafers (and the probe cards to test them) grow larger in array size and manufacturing planarity tolerances become stricter. The solution should be compatible with direct-docking and conventional docking systems, as well as with the different methods and platforms used by vendors to fashion and verify the planarity in the components of an ATE.
The present invention meets the above-mentioned needs. In accordance with an illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention, a planarization gauge has a mechanical layout identical to that of a probe card 113, so as to be mechanically interchangeable with a probe card 113. The planarization gauge is installed in the tester 101 or tester interface emulator in the same manner as a probe card 113. The planarization gauge is functionally and mechanically compatible with the ATE in which it is to be used, and is built within the manufacturing planarity tolerance of the ATE. The planarization gauge provides a front planar surface and a back planar surface, which are substantially parallel to each other. Either or both of the surfaces may be used as a system reference plane 119 when verifying planarity in the individual components of the ATE. During probe card planarization in the ATE test cell, the back planar surface is typically blocked by the test head 103, but the front planar surface remains accessible as a system reference plane 119. The planarization gauge is a single tool that provides depth gauge access holes for measurements using depth gauges, and optical targets for measurements using an upward looking camera 117. An optical target is hereinafter defined as any image or object that can be recognized by an upward looking camera 117 and used as an endpoint in a measurement of distance.
Since the planarization gauge is mechanically interchangeable with a probe card 113, the planarization gauge can be used in any ATE configuration, such as direct-docking or conventional docking systems. In a direct-docking system, the planarization gauge can be used while latched to the test head 103. The test head 103 can be set down on the docking supports 111 during planarization, thus replicating the physical setup of the ATE during wafer sort. Also, due to its interchangeable nature, the planarization gauge is compatible with conventional docking systems, as well as with the different methods and platforms used by vendors while building and verifying individual ATE test cell components. It can be used by the aforementioned prober vendors in place of the dummy probe cards. The probe card vendor and metrology tool vendor can use it to verify a metrology tool. Each vendor can also use it to calibrate and correlate internal manufacturing and planarization processes by verifying their own tools with the same planarization gauge. When used by all the ATE vendors, the planarization gauge provides a uniform standard for building and verifying all ATE components, ensuring correlation between the various methods of verifying planarity. Furthermore, the planarization gauge can be manufactured and inspected in a manner as to provide traceability to a standard, such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Additionally, it serves as an excellent debugging tool for determining which components are at fault when probe card planarization is a problem.
One embodiment of the planarization gauge consists of a front plate fastened to a back plate. One surface of the back plate is the back planar surface of the planarization gauge; one surface of the front plate is the front planar surface of the planarization gauge. The back plate is adapted to attach to a test head 103 in the same manner as a probe card 113. The front plate, made of glass, has three optical targets etched onto the front planar surface. In addition to the three optical targets, three depth gauge access holes run through the back and front plates, large enough to allow room for the plunger of a mechanical depth gauge to fit through.
Vendors using a mechanical depth gauge to measure planarity insert its plunger through the depth gauge access holes, using the back planar surface as the system reference plane 119. Vendors using an upward looking camera 117 optically measure the distance to the optical targets, using the front planar surface as the system reference plane 119. Either method of verifying planarity is valid and will correlate to the other method, since the back and front planar surfaces are parallel and planar within a strict tolerance. The depth gauges used with the planarization gauge are not limited to just mechanical depth gauges, either. Any other instrument that is capable of measurement in the z-direction with a precision sufficient for the ATE in question can also be used. Laser measurement equipment is one such alternative instrument.
The optical targets in this embodiment arc singular dots that are recognizable by a prober vision system utilizing, for example, the prober""s upward looking camera 117. Directional lines, also etched onto the glass, trace two paths from the center of the front plate to each optical target. The first path is a direct path from the front plate center to each target. The second path is broken down into x- and y-vectors. The directional lines in this embodiment allow an ATE operator to locate the tiny optical targets with ease, especially when the front planar surface is viewed at magnification through the upward looking camera 117. Additional directional lines to the optical targets may be added. Alternatively, the routine for locating and focusing on the dots of the planarization gauge can be automated and run by the prober 107.
The distance from the probing center to an optical target is hereinafter defined as an optical target radius, and the distance from the probing center to a docking support 111 in a direct-docking system is hereinafter defined as a docking support radius. Each docking support 111 has a corresponding optical target. The optical targets can be positioned at locations that duplicate, on a smaller and proportional scale, the locations of the docking supports 111 on the prober 107. The optical targets are located within the radial axis of the docking supports 111, and are positioned such that the ratio of each optical target radius to its respective docking support radius is the same.
Planarizing the test head 103 to the prober stage 109 becomes a straightforward process in a direct-docking system when the optical target radii are proportional to the docking support radii. First, the planarization gauge is latched onto the test head 103. Then, the distance between the prober stage 109 and each of the three optical targets is measured. The difference between the three measurements is proportional to the height adjustments that need to be made to the docking supports 111. This method of positioning the optical targets is optional and is not needed in a conventional docking system.
In an alternate embodiment, the planarization gauge is a single plate with parallel back and front planar surfaces. The front planar surface has three optical targets. These optical targets can be probes 115, probe-like protrusions, light-colored dots against a dark background, or any other image or object recognizable by the upward looking camera 117. The single plate also has three holes that allow access for a depth gauge. The single plate is adapted to attach to a test head 103 in the same manner as a probe card 113.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of preferred embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.